2 funnel cloud, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 5, 3:15 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 415 PM CDT SUN SEP 5 2004 .DISCUSSION... SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA WITH VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS EAST OF THE LOW. DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS JUST WORKING INTO WESTERN CWA ATTM WHILE 0-3 KM CAPE AND 0-1 KM BULK SHEAR IS QUITE IMPRESSIVE. SATELLITE SHOWS WELL DEFINED COMMA CLOUD OVER NORTHERN PLAINS WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED SYSTEM. ETA MODEL SHOWS SEASONALLY STRONG JET STREAM EJECTING ACROSS CWA THIS EVENING AS ASSOCIATED UPPER TROUGH TAKES ON A NEGATIVE TILT. THIS SUGGESTS A VERY WELL ORGANIZED VERTICAL MOTION FIELD. GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF AIRMASS MOISTURE...EXPECT WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT RAINS INTO EARLY LABOR DAY MORNING. FOLLOWING THIS...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN THROUGH TUESDAY AND WE DRY OUT AND COOL DOWN. EXTENDED FORECAST...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY THE ENSEMBLE SUPPORTS A SURFACE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER OUR COUNTY WARNING AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW IS THEN INDICATED THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE A PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES INTO OUR FORECAST AREA OVER THE WEEKEND. THE ENSEMBLE ALSO INDICATES ZONAL UPPER LEVEL FLOW WITH NO INDICATION OF ANY SIGNIFICANT SHORT WAVES. IT IS APPARENT FROM THE DPROG/DT ON AWIPS THAT THE GFSLR MODEL IS STILL STRUGGLING TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION. THINK THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION AT THIS TIME IS TO FOLLOW THE ENSEMBLE WHICH SUGGESTS A DRY FORECAST. && MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 530 AM CDT SUN SEP 5 2004 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028-061100- ANOKA-BARRON-BENTON-BLUE EARTH-BROWN-CARVER-CHIPPEWA-CHISAGO-DAKOTA- DOUGLAS-DUNN-EAU CLAIRE-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN-GOODHUE-HENNEPIN-ISANTI- KANABEC-KANDIYOHI-LAC QUI PARLE-LE SUEUR-MARTIN-MCLEOD-MEEKER- MILLE LACS-MORRISON-NICOLLET-PEPIN-PIERCE-POLK-POPE-RAMSEY-REDWOOD- RENVILLE-RICE-RUSK-SCOTT-SHERBURNE-SIBLEY-ST CROIX-STEARNS-STEELE- STEVENS-SWIFT-TODD-WASECA-WASHINGTON-WATONWAN-WRIGHT-YELLOW MEDICINE- 530 AM CDT SUN SEP 5 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A COLD FRONT OVER NORTHWEST MINNESOTA THIS MORNING WILL PUSH SLOWLY THROUGH CENTRAL AND EASTERN MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THIS FRONT ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL PUSH INTO WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN AROUND THE DINNER HOUR AND COULD BRING DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES TO THIS REGION AS WELL. ANOTHER THREAT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS OF UP TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. MARGRAF
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 132 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:33 UTC.
2 funnel cloud, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A funnel cloud was reported by a trained spotter on Highway 170.
Trees were downed on West Church Rd. The time was estimated.
A tornado touched down in an open field, then moved into a wooded grove where it broke a few trees, then dissipated.
Trees were downed on 120th St. in Milltown Township. The time was estimated.
A funnel cloud was reported by the fire department near the intersection of Highway 128 and Highway 12 just west of Wilson. The same funnel was spotted by the fire department 2 miles south of Glenwood City.
A tornado touched down briefly, breaking several trees and destroying a shed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Wisconsin, 2004Warnings in Wisconsin, September 2004
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5422130, 5422131, 5422132, 5422133, 5422134, 5422135.